Health Care A Concern For Hispanics

July 24, 2002|By David CM-azares Miami Bureau

MIAMI BEACH — While new policies have made health care available to more Americans, the government must do more to ensure Hispanics are better served, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson told members of the National Council of La Raza on Tuesday.

Thompson said the administration has tried to close the health care gap between Hispanics and other groups, and give states more leeway in how they spend certain Medicaid dollars by approving Medicaid waiver requests.

Thompson said the waivers, which suspend federal requirements for Medicaid eligibility so states can extend health care to the poor, has reduced the number of uninsured children from 14 percent to 10.8 percent.

"More than 2 million [additional] children have insurance," Thompson said. "And many of these children are poor Hispanic children."

Thompson said his department has released $20 million in grants to 75 local health centers around the country to expand health initiatives.

He also announced a program called Con Confianza (With Confidence) to help Hispanic families qualify for health insurance for their children.

But Thompson said more needs to be done to address the disparity in health and treatment between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. He noted Hispanic women 65 and older have twice the rate of cervical cancer as white, non-Hispanics and that Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes.

Thompson urged members of the advocacy group to spread the word that preventative measures against disease, such as exercise and efforts to stop smoking, can reduce the incidence of diabetes and other ailments.

"Health care is not just the responsibility of the health provider or the government," Thompson said. "Health care starts with us."